For the first time in 13 years, the Kalasha International Film and Television Awards, Kenya’s most prestigious celebration of cinematic and television excellence, will not take place this year. The Kenya Film Commission (KFC) confirmed the cancellation, citing a KSh 40 million funding shortfall and an unsustainable reliance on government financing as the main reasons.
The decision follows a strike reduction in the Commission’s budget, which fell from KSh 442.7 million in 2024/25 to just KSh 166.5 million in the current financial year. Internal sources indicate that these funds are largely insufficient to cover operations and staff salaries, leaving little room for organizing the high-profile awards.
“KFC has faced the harsh reality that the current funding model is unsustainable,” said a Commission spokesperson. “Our focus now is to restructure the Kalasha Awards by involving private sector partners and creative stakeholders to secure its long-term future.”
The cancellation comes despite the 13th edition of the Kalasha Awards, successfully hosted in March 2024 with a budget of KSh 30 million, which included a three-day awards event and trade fair. The Kalasha platform has long served as a vital hub for networking, content trading, and business development across East Africa’s creative industry.
The creative sector has also faced ongoing challenges, including delays in prize money payments to past winners, adding pressure on organizers to reform the awards system. Industry figures have welcomed the move to involve private stakeholders, seeing it as a step toward a more sustainable model that supports Kenya’s growing film and television industry.
The Kenya Film Commission has pledged to announce a new framework for the awards soon, aiming to preserve the Kalasha brand while ensuring transparency, financial stability, and continued promotion of Kenyan creativity on a regional and international stage.
